A special commission launched by the University of Florence is investigating a faculty member who helped teach a course and supervise student dissertations that deny a causal role for the HIV virus in AIDS. Specifically, the commission will look into whether molecular biologist Marco Ruggiero’s “conduct complies with the institutional guidelines on teaching contents and adherence to the objectives of the official curriculum of biological sciences,” a university spokesman told Nature.

The investigation was announced by the university’s chancellor, Alberto Tesi, on February 29, and comes as a response to a letter sent by an online community dedicated to the discussion of HIV/AIDS known as the HIV forum group. In the letter, the group asks for the “dissociation” of the university from Ruggiero’s “bad science and activities.” A university spokesman told Nature that if the investigation finds any misconduct on behalf of Ruggiero, it would be dealt with internally.

“We believe in the fundamental role of freedom of research and teaching,” they wrote. “But we also believe that, in order not to discredit the value of academic freedom, it is imperative that scientific method will always be rigorously applied, and that it is mandatory to prevent damage to life and health of patients from whoever, misusing that freedom, spreads theories lacking any scientific evidence.”

Ruggiero, along with known HIV/AIDS skeptic Peter Duesberg of the University of California, Berkeley, co-authored a highly controversial paper, published last December in the Italian Journal of Anatomy and Embryology (IJAE), that challenged mortality estimates of an HIV-AIDS epidemic in South Africa and the effectiveness of antiretroviral drugs. The paper was met with a mountain of criticism from the scientific community and led to the resignation of two members of the journal’s editorial board.

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SIV-HIV And Human Y LessonsNatural SIV Hosts: Showing AIDS the Doorhttp://www.sciencemag.org/cont...Â The case of Human Y applies clearly to SIV-HIV and to many other cases:Â Primates have been, and continue, evolving immunity defenses by ongoing physiological reactions-adaptation to changing circumstances, whereas humans rely ONLY on changing the causative circumstancesâ€¦Â Genes and genomes are BOTH ORGANISMS. Their genetic expressions evolve with, and are set by, the cultural circumstances in accordance with the RNAs-genes-organisms, natural selection. This is Darwinian evolution, extended backward â€“ as it should be â€“ to our primal constitutional organisms.Â TIME TO UPDATE THE AAAS CONGREGATION-TRADE UNION CONCEPTSâ€¦Â Rash Human Y Demising?On The Male Sex Chromosome (posted July 25 2009)Â A. On Human male sex chromosome, again?From â€œMale Sex Chromosome Losing Genes By Rapid Evolution, Study Revealsâ€쳌http://www.sciencedaily.com/re...â€œâ€¦we also know that most of the genes were not important for survival because they were lost, which led to the very different numbers of genes we observe between the once-identical X and Y. Although there is evidence that the Y chromosome is still degrading, some of the surviving genes on the Y chromosome may be essential, which can be inferred because these genes have been maintained for so long.â€쳌â€œâ€¦found evidence that some others are on track to disappear, as well.â€쳌Â B. â€œSpontaneous speciation?â€쳌http://www.the-scientist.com/b...â€œConservation of Y-linked genes during human evolution revealed by comparative sequencing in chimpanzeeâ€쳌http://www.mombu.com/science/e...Chimpâ€™s genome has been continuing survival by physiologically adapting to changing environments, whereas Humanâ€™s genome continues survival mainly by modifying-controlling its environment.Â C. AcademEnglish verbiage should be at least scientifically carefulThe rate of â€œlosing genesâ€쳌 by an organism is not a constant value of a natural law. It is induced and set mostly by the rate and nature of the change of culture of the organism, which is induced, in turn , by various circumstantial factorsâ€¦Â IMO we can feel assured that the human Y is not on an accelerating course to oblivionâ€¦Â Dov Henis(Comments from 22nd century)21st century science whence and whitherhttp://universe-life.com/2011/...Earth life genesis from aromaticity-H bondinghttp://universe-life.com/2011/...Seed of human-chimp genome diversityhttp://universe-life.com/2011/...

SIV-HIV And Human Y LessonsNatural SIV Hosts: Showing AIDS the Doorhttp://www.sciencemag.org/cont...Â The case of Human Y applies clearly to SIV-HIV and to many other cases:Â Primates have been, and continue, evolving immunity defenses by ongoing physiological reactions-adaptation to changing circumstances, whereas humans rely ONLY on changing the causative circumstancesâ€¦Â Genes and genomes are BOTH ORGANISMS. Their genetic expressions evolve with, and are set by, the cultural circumstances in accordance with the RNAs-genes-organisms, natural selection. This is Darwinian evolution, extended backward â€“ as it should be â€“ to our primal constitutional organisms.Â TIME TO UPDATE THE AAAS CONGREGATION-TRADE UNION CONCEPTSâ€¦Â Rash Human Y Demising?On The Male Sex Chromosome (posted July 25 2009)Â A. On Human male sex chromosome, again?From â€œMale Sex Chromosome Losing Genes By Rapid Evolution, Study Revealsâ€쳌http://www.sciencedaily.com/re...â€œâ€¦we also know that most of the genes were not important for survival because they were lost, which led to the very different numbers of genes we observe between the once-identical X and Y. Although there is evidence that the Y chromosome is still degrading, some of the surviving genes on the Y chromosome may be essential, which can be inferred because these genes have been maintained for so long.â€쳌â€œâ€¦found evidence that some others are on track to disappear, as well.â€쳌Â B. â€œSpontaneous speciation?â€쳌http://www.the-scientist.com/b...â€œConservation of Y-linked genes during human evolution revealed by comparative sequencing in chimpanzeeâ€쳌http://www.mombu.com/science/e...Chimpâ€™s genome has been continuing survival by physiologically adapting to changing environments, whereas Humanâ€™s genome continues survival mainly by modifying-controlling its environment.Â C. AcademEnglish verbiage should be at least scientifically carefulThe rate of â€œlosing genesâ€쳌 by an organism is not a constant value of a natural law. It is induced and set mostly by the rate and nature of the change of culture of the organism, which is induced, in turn , by various circumstantial factorsâ€¦Â IMO we can feel assured that the human Y is not on an accelerating course to oblivionâ€¦Â Dov Henis(Comments from 22nd century)21st century science whence and whitherhttp://universe-life.com/2011/...Earth life genesis from aromaticity-H bondinghttp://universe-life.com/2011/...Seed of human-chimp genome diversityhttp://universe-life.com/2011/...

The Group HIVINFORMA disagree with this article. Everyone should face the problem in the best way basing on his knowledge: the approach of Prof. Marco Ruggiero follows the words of Prof. Luc Montagnier (Nobel Prize), that says in a statements "A good immune system will get rid of the virus within few weeks". Here our letter to the Chancellor Prof. Alberto Tesi - http://www.hivinforma.it/downl...

The Group HIVINFORMA disagree with this article. Everyone should face the problem in the best way basing on his knowledge: the approach of Prof. Marco Ruggiero follows the words of Prof. Luc Montagnier (Nobel Prize), that says in a statements "A good immune system will get rid of the virus within few weeks". Here our letter to the Chancellor Prof. Alberto Tesi - http://www.hivinforma.it/downl...

No vaccine, no safe treatment, no cure, no questions after 30 years ! Isn't something awry? In House of Numbers: Anatomy of an Epidemic, an AIDS film like no other, the HIV/AIDS story is being rewritten. This is the first film to present the uncensored POVs of virtually all the major players; in their own settings, in their own words. It rocks the foundaton upon which all conventional wisdom regarding â€˜HIV/AIDSâ€™ is based. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...Â

If you want a good general introduction to this topic watch House of Numbers. You can see a trailer and the multiple awards this documentary won on the independent film festival circuit hereÂ http://houseofnumbers.comÂ and you can watch the documentary in full on YouTube hereÂ www.youtube.com/watch?v=_p-ttL...

Why did this very limited and inaccurate article finish up with a direction to Conspiracy theories on HIV and AIDS ? Ruggiero does not profess any views of that kind. There are many studies investigating immunotherapies as supportive or adjunctive therapies to Arv's (HAART) and chemo antibiotics. This is an utter nonsense and just another attempt at enciting ignorance and hostility towards creative thinking in developing functional products to support immune function - much of which happens in the Gut. Ruggiero's work is a follow on from Yamamoto.It is an experiment. He does not say HIV plays no part in the cause of AIDS. He suggests like many other researchers , and many government funded education programs , by the way (do your homework) that there are "co-factors", and that the co factors may play a larger role prior to HIV, in creating the terrain for this syndrome to advance. To label him a Denialist seems an over reaction.

No vaccine, no safe treatment, no cure, no questions after 30 years ! Isn't something awry? In House of Numbers: Anatomy of an Epidemic, an AIDS film like no other, the HIV/AIDS story is being rewritten. This is the first film to present the uncensored POVs of virtually all the major players; in their own settings, in their own words. It rocks the foundaton upon which all conventional wisdom regarding â€˜HIV/AIDSâ€™ is based. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...Â

If you want a good general introduction to this topic watch House of Numbers. You can see a trailer and the multiple awards this documentary won on the independent film festival circuit hereÂ http://houseofnumbers.comÂ and you can watch the documentary in full on YouTube hereÂ www.youtube.com/watch?v=_p-ttL...

Why did this very limited and inaccurate article finish up with a direction to Conspiracy theories on HIV and AIDS ? Ruggiero does not profess any views of that kind. There are many studies investigating immunotherapies as supportive or adjunctive therapies to Arv's (HAART) and chemo antibiotics. This is an utter nonsense and just another attempt at enciting ignorance and hostility towards creative thinking in developing functional products to support immune function - much of which happens in the Gut. Ruggiero's work is a follow on from Yamamoto.It is an experiment. He does not say HIV plays no part in the cause of AIDS. He suggests like many other researchers , and many government funded education programs , by the way (do your homework) that there are "co-factors", and that the co factors may play a larger role prior to HIV, in creating the terrain for this syndrome to advance. To label him a Denialist seems an over reaction.

I also believe viruses can be defeated by strong immune response. So if IFN gamma and supporting molecules of a person areÂ denyingÂ progression of HIV to cause AIDS. The mechanism/pathways must beÂ studied.

I also believe viruses can be defeated by strong immune response. So if IFN gamma and supporting molecules of a person areÂ denyingÂ progression of HIV to cause AIDS. The mechanism/pathways must beÂ studied.

I call you junk science LIARS the denialists! You deny the TRUTH that there is NO TEST TO TEST FOR HIV! Where is the test?? The elisa and the WB clearly state in their own language that THEY HAVE NO STANDARDS TO DETECT ANTIBODIES TO HIV!!!! THIS IS WHY WE JUST HAD A MAN ACQUITTED OF ALL CHARGES IN FT. BRAGG NORTH CAROLINA...look up the case!! This bogus Science WILL SOON CRUMBLE AS WE CHIP AWAY AT THIS GENOCIDAL LIES IN THE COURT SYSTEM CASE BY CASE!!!

I call you junk science LIARS the denialists! You deny the TRUTH that there is NO TEST TO TEST FOR HIV! Where is the test?? The elisa and the WB clearly state in their own language that THEY HAVE NO STANDARDS TO DETECT ANTIBODIES TO HIV!!!! THIS IS WHY WE JUST HAD A MAN ACQUITTED OF ALL CHARGES IN FT. BRAGG NORTH CAROLINA...look up the case!! This bogus Science WILL SOON CRUMBLE AS WE CHIP AWAY AT THIS GENOCIDAL LIES IN THE COURT SYSTEM CASE BY CASE!!!